Co-operative strategies for professional service firms: unique opportunities and challenges

Over the last few years, a number of authors have pointed out the im­ portance of looking into the role of co-operative ventures in the strategic management of modem firms. This is true not only in the case of domestic firms, but also - and maybe even more so - in international business (e.g. Harrigan 1985; Contractor and Lorange 1988a; Kogut 1988b; Hamel etal. 1989). The present chapter differs from most of the previous research on international joint ventures in several respects.